Mini language lesson #7: Unique Hungarian words

The Hungarian language is fantastic in many ways. We have strange grammar rules, expressions, sayings and also words. This latter is the topic of this mini lesson as there are certain words that are similar in many languages, but different in Hungarian. Some are logical, while some might seem overcomplicated. Check them out for yourself 🙂

Why do we say ball-kicking instead of football, road-letter instead of passport or Italian country instead of Italy? Well, the questions are great, but the truth is that the origin of these words is mostly indefinite, although it can be traced back in history in some cases. It is quite interesting how these words come natural to Hungarians, but if we think about them, we realise that some compounds are actually strangely unique.

Keep in mind that we are not linguists in any way, we’re just as dazzled by the curiosities of the Hungarian language as foreigners are. So this series doesn’t aim to explain the etymology of words, it’s more a fun take on our language. We try to bring Hungarian closer to you with witty learning cards made by Daily magyar, a language-enthusiast person, whose posts give an insight into the complexity of the Hungarian grammar. But don’t worry, it’s all done in an easy-going way, so that it can make learning fun.